Narrative:

The first officer and I received aircraft at AM05 local time at cle airport. The aircraft overnighted in cle. This flight would be its first flight of the day. We did not fly the aircraft prior to this on dec/xb/99 or on dec/xa/99. We boarded the aircraft at AM05 and I noticed that the ELT was transmitting its distress signal. I called maintenance to notify them. I reset the ELT with a cockpit switch. The ELT stopped transmitting. Maintenance was satisfied. At approximately 1 hour later we departed to cak. On approach into cak, I noticed the ELT was transmitting. I reset the switch and the ELT stopped transmitting. After landing and during engine shutdown, the ELT started to transmit again. Several attempts were made to stop it from transmitting. They failed and the ELT continued to transmit. I immediately notified cak tower by radio and told the ground controller that our airplane was transmitting an ELT signal. We notified our company's maintenance by telephone and they sent a local contract maintenance company to look at it. They arrived approximately 1 hour later. The contract maintenance reset a switch in the tail of the aircraft. It stopped transmitting. A write-up in the logbook of the problem was properly completed and maintenance cleared it and signed off on it. We were dispatched from cak to cle. The ELT signal did not activate. Upon landing, we were advised to call the cle TRACON supervisor by telephone. I called him within 15 mins of landing and relayed the above statement. The supervisor informed me that cak tower failed to notify cle TRACON or center that the ELT activation was at their field. He told me that this miscom led him to start a possible search and rescue operation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE1900 FLC BATTLES WITH AN ELT THAT KEEPS ACTIVATING, FINALLY STOPPING IT AT CAK, OH. THE TWR DID NOT NOTIFY CLE TRACON WHO THEN STARTED A SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT.

Narrative: THE FO AND I RECEIVED ACFT AT AM05 LCL TIME AT CLE ARPT. THE ACFT OVERNIGHTED IN CLE. THIS FLT WOULD BE ITS FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. WE DID NOT FLY THE ACFT PRIOR TO THIS ON DEC/XB/99 OR ON DEC/XA/99. WE BOARDED THE ACFT AT AM05 AND I NOTICED THAT THE ELT WAS XMITTING ITS DISTRESS SIGNAL. I CALLED MAINT TO NOTIFY THEM. I RESET THE ELT WITH A COCKPIT SWITCH. THE ELT STOPPED XMITTING. MAINT WAS SATISFIED. AT APPROX 1 HR LATER WE DEPARTED TO CAK. ON APCH INTO CAK, I NOTICED THE ELT WAS XMITTING. I RESET THE SWITCH AND THE ELT STOPPED XMITTING. AFTER LNDG AND DURING ENG SHUTDOWN, THE ELT STARTED TO XMIT AGAIN. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO STOP IT FROM XMITTING. THEY FAILED AND THE ELT CONTINUED TO XMIT. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED CAK TWR BY RADIO AND TOLD THE GND CTLR THAT OUR AIRPLANE WAS XMITTING AN ELT SIGNAL. WE NOTIFIED OUR COMPANY'S MAINT BY TELEPHONE AND THEY SENT A LCL CONTRACT MAINT COMPANY TO LOOK AT IT. THEY ARRIVED APPROX 1 HR LATER. THE CONTRACT MAINT RESET A SWITCH IN THE TAIL OF THE ACFT. IT STOPPED XMITTING. A WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK OF THE PROB WAS PROPERLY COMPLETED AND MAINT CLRED IT AND SIGNED OFF ON IT. WE WERE DISPATCHED FROM CAK TO CLE. THE ELT SIGNAL DID NOT ACTIVATE. UPON LNDG, WE WERE ADVISED TO CALL THE CLE TRACON SUPVR BY TELEPHONE. I CALLED HIM WITHIN 15 MINS OF LNDG AND RELAYED THE ABOVE STATEMENT. THE SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT CAK TWR FAILED TO NOTIFY CLE TRACON OR CTR THAT THE ELT ACTIVATION WAS AT THEIR FIELD. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS MISCOM LED HIM TO START A POSSIBLE SEARCH AND RESCUE OP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.